A little update

Well, it’s Saturday, which means everyone is taking advantage of the fact that it’s Sabbath and they are all laying around or reading the newspaper or on the internet or watching TV. So, for those of you who simply can’t stand not knowing what’s going on with me, I thought I’d find something to say.

For starters I took a couple of pictures: this one is the wall where I go to pray most mornings at what I call “Abraham’s Overlook” (not the real name, but it is descriptive enough). Notice the olive trees in the background. It looks out over the Temple Mount in the distance. I go there around 7AM when the sun is warm and the breeze coming up from the valley is nice and cool. Here is the little “mall” where I shop for groceries just down from where I pray. It has a couple of barber shops and a post office along with the small market where I get cereal and hummus.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I will hand carry my resume to the Hebrew University which is here in Jerusalem on Mt. Scopus. Monday or Tuesday I’m supposed to have an interview with the local director of an organization called Wall Street Institute which is kind of like an English language tutoring service.

Thursday I decided to take a walk to a part of the Old City’s wall which I’d not been to in a couple of years. I took the bus downtown and walked to the Old City and walked along its northern wall and spent some time in one of the museums. I walked past the Damascus Gate and took this picture. The gate in the upper section is the current ground level while the lower gate to the left was street level in Jesus’ time. It was probably this lower gate through which Jesus was made to carry the cross. I then turned around, facing the opposite direction, and took this picture of what some think was the “place of the skull”. Many consider this the most logical place of Jesus’ crucifixion. You have to look hard to see the cliff under the cemetery. It’s weird to see this place behind a present-day bus station. Just to the left of this hill (can’t see it behind the buildings) is the Garden Tomb.

On my walk around the city wall I lost the cell phone Danny loaned me, so I tried to retrace my steps, but never found it. When I got home I called the cell phone’s number but it was busy (someone was using it). After that, no one answered the phone. Oh, well.

Is that enough news? Stay tuned…

One final thing: Late this afternoon I stood on our patio/balcony and looked to the east across to the Jordan Valley. On very rare days or evenings you can see the Mountains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan River in the country of Jordan. This afternoon you could barely see these mountains. Normally, the dust from the lowest place on the planet obscures these lofty mountains at the base of which Joshua entered the area and set up his camp that covered an area 7 miles wide by 12 miles long. Here is the picture. You may have to squint to see the mountains as the camera didn’t do a very good job.

Things here are going good. The girls have decided not to take dance classes this year, so I have a little more free time during the evenings. The girls are getting a little restless waiting for public schools to start & so am I. Things at CCP are going good-South Pacific is selling great! Keep up the blogging–we are reading!

We are reading as well. Enjoying every word.
Thank you for sharing. The photos add a lot.
Got all the books together to start the school year…just haven’t heard the word, “GO!”. We are taking some time to get direction and a focus for the year.
As I think about your time there and your resumes swirling about the Holy Lands…I am reminded of a sermon I once heard about how God is NOT the provider…He IS the Provision. As I pray that over my familyas we need more of HIM…I will be praying it for you as well. Shalom

Hey there. I loved catching up and particularly loved the pictures. I can go there myself through your descriptions. Thanks for sharing. So glad to hear that Blake believes he is in the center of God’s will at this time. I am sure that is comforting for you. Personally, there is no other place on the planet that I would rather be during Succot than in Jerusalem. Go to Beit Vegan across from Yad Vashem and walk in the neighborhood watching them build their succas (sp:)
Nothing like the fall in Israel during the fall feasts. You are blessed.